Islamic Entrepreneurship: Jurisprudential Principles, Business Ethics, and Human Rights Implications for Sustainable Development
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Abstract
This study reconstructs the theological and jurisprudential foundations of Islamic entrepreneurship from primary Qur’anic, hadith, and classical fiqh al-muʼāmalāt sources, and proposes the Integrative Islamic Entrepreneurship Framework (IEF) as an original analytical architecture synthesizing five dimensions: theological foundations, jurisprudential architecture, ethical character, stakeholder rights, and sustainable development alignment explicitly linked to international human rights norms and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A normative-analytical methodology was employed through systematic review of classical fiqh texts (Al-Ghazali, Al-Zarqa, Al-Qaradawi) and contemporary Islamic economic scholarship, supplemented by comparative analysis against international human rights instruments. The study finds that Islamic entrepreneurial principles embody substantive convergences with international human rights norms, particularly rights to fair labor, consumer protection, equitable economic participation, and environmental sustainability. The IEF provides an actionable normative framework for Muslim entrepreneurs, Islamic finance institutions, business educators, and policymakers seeking to align entrepreneurial practice with both shari'ah principles and global human rights standards, advancing the discourse on law-based inclusive entrepreneurship in Muslim-majority societies.
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